Video: Whether for sport or special forces, Iron Man suits generate buzz in the world of armor

Published on March 3rd, 2014 | By: Jessica McMathis

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The development of new high-tech body armor from industry and the military could see the creation of real-life Iron Men. Credit: UWM – Unified Weapons Master, YouTube.

With the development of new high-tech body armor, the iconic Iron Man suit is no longer relegated to comic books and blockbuster films.

Credit: UWM – Unified Weapons Master, YouTube.

Designed by Unified Weapons Master (UWM) and developed by a team of engineers at Chiron Global (both based in Australia), the super suit comes with built-in sensors that not only shield against but also record, in real-time, the impact of every jab, hook, or blow of the wearer with its flexible and “intelligent” protection. (See it in action by checking out the video above.)

The team, which includes an armor developer for films like “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit,” has performed testing with some of the biggest names in martial arts, and, according to a UWM press release, hopes that its technology will “pave the way for a new global sport, Unified Weapons Master, that pits the world’s best weapons martial artists against each other.”

But UWM’s Iron-esque suit isn’t the only one on the body-armor block.

Prototypes for the US military’s own high-tech armor offering could see testing by summer.

The US Army’s Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit would provide “superhuman strength with greater ballistic protection.” Credit: U.S. Army

Engineers at MIT, the US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, and researchers from business and academia are eager to unveil the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (TALOS), which, as reported by Defense Tech, will see three unpowered suits assembled and delivered by June.

With “a powered exoskeleton, full-body armor, and situational-awareness displays,” TALOS is a major technology advance for the US military, which hopes to outfit troops in the gear by August 2018.